Fun Games for July 4th Celebrations

Fourth of July parties and get-togethers are a great way to spend the holiday and celebrate summer. It’s a time to see parades, barbecue, watch fireworks, and enjoy the summer weather.

Here are some fun games to play with the kids and keep them entertained:

T-Shirt Design Contest: Get some plain, colored t-shirts in red, white, and blue (these will also come in handy later when you’re playing the other games). Use fabric paint or markers and have each child design their very own patriotic t-shirt. Either lay them out on a table or string them along a clothesline to dry. While they are drying, have a panel of judges decide on their favorite t-shirt design. The one with the most votes wins!

Tug-Of-War: All you need for this good ol’ fashioned game is a rope and some willing players. Split up your group into teams (you can divide up the groups based on who’s wearing red, white or blue t-shirts from the t-shirt design contest). Tie 2-3 knots in the middle of your rope. Place a marker on the ground to show the center and line up the rope above that. Have a group on each side of the rope. The first team to pull a member of the opposing team past that center line wins. You can have the winner of each round battle each other if there are more than two teams.

Drip, Drip, Drop: This game is a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose. Fill up a bucket with water and drop some sponges in. Make sure to use sponges that hold a lot of water. Have the children sit in a circle on the ground. Choose one child to be the “goose.” The child who is the “goose” holds a sponge above the other childrens’ heads as he/she walks behind them in their circle. As he/she passes each child, he/she will say “drip” until he/she decides on the person they want to be the next “goose.” At that point, he/she will say “drop” and squeeze the sponge over that child’s head. That child will chase and try to catch the “goose” before he/she can sit down. If the “goose” is caught before sitting down, they continue to be the “goose”, otherwise the other child is the new “goose.” Continue this until you decide the game is done.

Water Balloon Toss: Have the children partner up. Make two lines so that each child is facing their partner. In the beginning, make sure they are only a couple of feet apart from each other. Give each child on one side of the line a water balloon. They will toss the water balloon to their partner. If it doesn’t break, they take a step back. If it breaks, they (and their partner) are out of the game. The children continue this until there is only one team left in the game. To go with the Fourth of July theme, you can use red, white, and blue water balloons. Tip: Reuse empty hand soap bottles with pumps to help fill your water balloons.

Patriotic Clothing Relay: Have 4-5 sets of patriotic clothing. In each one, have a red t-shirt, blue shorts, patriotic hat (we found some at the dollar store) and a flag. Make sure the clothing sizes are bigger than the biggest player. Put each set of clothing in boxes on one end and place cones on the other end. Divide up the children into even-numbered teams. If there are teams with uneven number of players, choose someone to go twice on those teams. The goal is that each person will put all of the clothing on and hold the flag as they run around the cone on the other side and return to their team. Once they return, they’ll take off the clothes and the next team member will put them on and do the same thing. This continues until all of their team members have gone. The first team to finish are the winners!

Pie Eating Contest: Make enough pies for the number of children that will be participating. Each child stands in front of a pie with their hands behind their back. Once the contest starts, they have to use only their mouths to eat the pie. The first person to finish wins the contest!

Potato Sack Race: Use either potato sacks or heavy-duty garbage bags and have enough for each child participating. Establish a starting line and a finish line. Each child puts their legs into a potato sack or garbage bag. Once the game race starts, the children hop from the starting line to the finish line. The first one to cross the finish line wins!

Bike Decorating Contest: Have each child decorate their bike either by making their own patriotic decorations or getting creative with store-bought decorations. Assemble a panel of judges. Have each child ride their bike in front of the judges, who will select their favorites. The one with the most votes wins!

Enjoy these games. Let us know if you have some other fun games that would be perfect for a Fourth of July celebration!

Guest blogger Maria Tiongco Ramos is a Savings.com DealPro and founder of the blog, A Savings WOW! She’s dedicated to helping others learn how to enjoy life without breaking the bank.